Governor Charlie Baker has announced the launch of a Digital Healthcare Council, a comprehensive public-private partnership that will advise the administration on the future of the Commonwealth’s digital healthcare industry. The council convenes leaders across the digital healthcare industry, including technology, healthcare delivery, insurance, medical devices, the life sciences, academia, and government, to advise on ways new digital technologies can improve healthcare in the Commonwealth, grow jobs, and reduce healthcare costs.
This week, Governor Baker convened the first meeting of the Digital Health Council at the Massachusetts General Hospital Museum of Medical History and Innovation. The session focused on strategies and tactics that can help Massachusetts grow innovative digital health technologies.
The digital health market spans a number of technologies Massachusetts is an established leader in, including the life sciences, electronic health records, consumer wearable devices, care systems, payment management, Big Data analytics and telemedicine. The digital health market is estimated to grow to $32 billion over the next decade.
The Council will be co-chaired by Katie Stebbins, Assistant Secretary of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, and Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President and CEO of Boston-based Vertex.
“The digital healthcare sector plays directly to our strengths in Massachusetts – from world-class hospitals, universities and life sciences companies, to significant concentrations of VC investment,” said Dr. Jeffrey Leiden. “We at MACP are honored to have led this outstanding public-private partnership toward accelerating the growth of the digital healthcare industry in the Commonwealth and are excited about the future growth of this segment of the innovation economy as the state takes this initiative forward to the next stage.”
In January 2016 Governor Baker launched the Massachusetts Digital Health Initiative, a public-private partnership established by Governor Baker, Massachusetts healthcare executives, legislative and municipal partners, and leaders in the business community including the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP).
The Massachusetts Digital Health Council will help steer and shape that Initiative, as its initial responsibility will be to deliver a three-year growth plan to the Governor with recommendations and objectives for ways the state can promote and accelerate digital healthcare innovation across the Commonwealth.
The Council will also establish and support projects that bolster the implementation of the growth plan, reporting on their progress via an annual report on the Council’s progress towards its objectives.
The Massachusetts Digital Health Council will meet at least four times per year, and will be supported by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech (MeHI). The full list of Council members is below:
Co-Chairs:
– Katie Stebbins, Assistant Secretary for Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
– Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President & CEO, Vertex
Members (alphabetical by last name):
– Jay Ash, Secretary, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
– Scott Bailey, Managing Director, MassChallenge
– Jeff Bussgang, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
– Andrew Dreyfus, President & Chief Executive Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
– Sandra L. Fenwick, President & Chief Executive Officer, Boston Children’s Hospital
– Alan M. Garber, Provost, Harvard University
– Dr. Atul Gawande, Executive Director, Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
– Louis Gutierrez, Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Connector
– Dr. John Halamka, Chief Information Officer, Beth Israel Deaconess System
– Kerry Healey, President, Babson College
– Colin Hill, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, GNS Healthcare
– Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO, Southcoast Health
– Dr. Erin Jospe, Chief Medical Officer, PatientKeeper
– Stephen Kraus, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners
– Laurie Leshin, President, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
– Travis McCready, President & CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
– Alice Moore, Undersecretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services
– Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, President, Brigham and Women’s Health Care
– Ed Park, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, athenahealth
– Larry Renfro, CEO, Optum
– Martin Arnold Schmidt, Provost, MIT
– Peter Sherlock, Senior Vice President, Programs and Technology, Center for National Security & Director, Bedford Operations, MITRE Corporation
– Justin Steinman, Chief Marketing Officer, GE Healthcare Digital
– Dr. Steven Strongwater. President & CEO, Atrius Health
– Laurance Stuntz, Director, Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech
– Marylou Sudders, Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services
– Steven Tello, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, UMass Lowell
– Dr. David Torchiana, President & CEO, Partners HealthCare
– Joel Vengco, Vice President & Chief Information Officer Baystate Health
– Kate Walsh, President & CEO, Boston Medical Center
– Rick Weisblatt, Chief of Innovation and Strategy, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare
